Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/kopati

This Proto-Slavic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Slavic

Etymology

Reflects the iterative Proto-Balto-Slavic *kаpā́ˀtei, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kep-. Parallel to Proto-Slavic *skopiti (“to castrate”) > Old Church Slavonic скопити (skopiti). Cognate with Latvian kapât (“to chop, hew”), Lithuanian kapóti (“to chop, hew”) and akin to Old Prussian enkopts (“buried”).

Per ESSJa, possibly superseded an earlier *kòp(je)ti (pres. 1p. sg. *kòpľǫ, attested in Slovene, Polish, Czech), cognate with Lithuanian kàpti (“to chop”), Ancient Greek κόπτω (kóptō, “to beat, to hit”).

Verb

*kopàti impf (perfective *kopnǫti)

1. to dig

Conjugation

Conjugation of *kopati, *kopa, *kopľetь (impf., -a/j-, s-aorist, accent paradigm a)

Suffix: *-ati

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*kopanьje	*kopati	*kopatъ	*kopalъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*kopanъ	*kopľemъ
Active	*kopavъ	*kopľę

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*kopaxъ	*kopa	*kopa	*kopľǫ	*kopľeši	*kopľetь
Dual	*kopaxově	*kopasta	*kopaste	*kopľevě	*kopľeta	*kopľete
Plural	*kopaxomъ	*kopaste	*kopašę	*kopľemъ	*kopľete	*kopľǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*kopaaxъ	*kopaaše	*kopaaše	—	*kopľi	*kopľi
Dual	*kopaaxově	*kopaašeta	*kopaašete	*kopľivě	*kopľita	—
Plural	*kopaaxomъ	*kopaašete	*kopaaxǫ	*kopľimъ	*kopľite	—

Conjugation of *kopati, *kopa, *kopajetь (impf., -a-, s-aorist, accent paradigm a)

Suffix: *-ati

Verbal noun	Infinitive	Supine	L-participle
*kopanьje	*kopati	*kopatъ	*kopalъ

	Participles
Tense	Past	Present
Passive	*kopanъ	*kopajemъ
Active	*kopavъ	*kopaję

	Aorist			Present
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*kopaxъ	*kopa	*kopa	*kopajǫ	*kopaješi	*kopajetь
Dual	*kopaxově	*kopasta	*kopaste	*kopajevě	*kopajeta	*kopajete
Plural	*kopaxomъ	*kopaste	*kopašę	*kopajemъ	*kopajete	*kopajǫtь
	Imperfect			Imperative
Person	1st	2nd	3rd	1st	2nd	3rd
Singular	*kopaaxъ	*kopaaše	*kopaaše	—	*kopaji	*kopaji
Dual	*kopaaxově	*kopaašeta	*kopaašete	*kopajivě	*kopajita	—
Plural	*kopaaxomъ	*kopaašete	*kopaaxǫ	*kopajimъ	*kopajite	—

Derived terms

• *jьzkopati (“to dig up”)
• *otъkopati (“to dig out”)
• *vykopati (“to unearth”)
• *orzkopati (“to excavate”)
• *perkopati (“to dig again”)
• *vъkopati (“to imbed”)
• *okopati (“to trench”)
• *zakopati (“to bury”)
• *kopnǫti (“to shovel”)
• *kopačь (“digger”)
• *kopъ
  • *kopьcь (“heap”)
  • *jьzkopъ (“earthwork”)
  • *okopъ (“ditch”)
  • *orzkopъka (“excavation”)
• *kopyto (“hoof”)
• *kopylo (“young boy”)
• *kopa (“heap”)
• *kopьje (“spear”)

Related terms

• *čьpľjěti (“to scrape”)
• *čěpati (“to chop, to peck”)
• *čěpatъ (“gnarly”)
• *čepъ (“tap”) (possibly)
  • *čepakъ (“lid”)
  • *čepьcь (“cap”)
  • *čepъka (“cluster”)

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: копати (kopati)
    • Belarusian: капа́ць (kapácʹ)
    • Russian: копа́ть (kopátʹ)
    • Ukrainian: копа́ти (kopáty)
• South Slavic:
  • Old Church Slavonic:

    Old Cyrillic script: копати (kopati)

    Glagolitic script: ⰽⱁⱂⰰⱅⰻ (kopati)

  • Bulgarian: копа́я (kopája) (standard), ко́пам (kópam) (colloquial)
  • Macedonian: копа (kopa)
  • Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: ко̀пати

    Latin script: kòpati

  • Slovene: kópati, kopáti (tonal orthography)
• West Slavic:
  • Kashubian: kòpac
  • Old Czech: kopati
    • Czech: kopat
  • Polish: kopać
  • Slovak: kopať
  • Sorbian:
    • Upper Sorbian: kopać
    • Lower Sorbian: kopaś

Further reading

• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “копать”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1984), “*kopati”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 11 (*konьcь – *kotьna(ja)), Moscow: Nauka, page 18
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1979), “копая, копвам, копна”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volumes 2 (и – крепя̀), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, page 610